What’s hiding in your dryer vent? Have you noticed a reduction in the efficiency of your dryer? Had to have a heating element replaced? Do you know where your dryer vent is located and when it was last cleaned?

A standard item on every home inspection is the identification and condition of a home’s dryer vent. Vents that discharge in attics and crawlspaces may be depositing moisture and flammable materials in less-than-ideal locations.

Vents that go up and through the roof are better, but some regular maintenance should be performed to ensure proper ventilation. Lint can build up within the area where the vent ductwork takes a 90 degree bend upward, as well as where the oval duct connects to a circular duct or vent hose. I recommend having these areas cleaned by a qualified professional at least once a year to avoid dangerous blockages.

And for those that have dryers which vent out of a wall? Cleaning maintenance can be performed much easier but care should be taken to keep an eye on the exterior vent - ensure it is not covered with a screen, crushed, missing, or obstructed with lint.

Call Red Rooster Inspections to schedule a home inspection today, and I’ll help you understand not just where that vent is located, but the condition of the vent and hose as well.

Central Texans - call now to receive a free no-obligation quote for inspecting your next property.

In an effort to better serve the homebuyers in and around Central Texas (or farther as needed), I'm pleased to announce that I have added Septic System Inspections to my list of services. If you are buying a home or multiple properties within the state of Texas, please make Red Rooster Inspections your first call!

Did you know that a home inspector licensed within the state of Texas is exactly that: licensed to perform home inspections within the entire state of Texas?!? While most of us may not wish to drive out to El Paso for a single family residence, a portfolio of properties to be inspected over a week may be a different story (no offense El Paso, 9 hours is just a bit too far for one home!). At the request of clients, I have performed home inspections in multiple communities located more than an hour outside of Waco, and will happily do so again as needed. I also have great friends throughout the state who are professionally licensed inspectors and who I can refer to for specific markets. If you are looking for a home inspection within Texas, please make Red Rooster Inspections your first call!

Part of the home inspection process is a thorough roof inspection, which, depending on the roofing material and pitch of the roof, will include walking the roof, observation from a ladder, examination from within the attic, and viewing through binoculars.

With a myriad of different roofing materials (Slate, Wood Shakes, Cement, Clay Tile, Metal, Composition Shingles), the things your home inspector is looking for include cracked tiles, loose or exposed fasteners (nail heads), loss of granules on shingles, or missing shingles altogether. Deficiencies in roofing can lead to costly repairs caused by water damage to roofing materials, wood framing, electrical systems, and sheet rock, not to mention personal items stored in attics.

If you're shopping for a home in Waco or surrounding communities such as China Spring, Hewitt, Woodway, McGregor, Bellmead, Robsinson, West or Axtell, and all other surrounding areas within 75 miles of Waco, give Bryan Morris of Red Rooster Inspections a call at (254) 366-8272 to schedule your home inspection right away!

A given week provides opportunities for me to enter anywhere from 5, 10, sometimes as many as 15 attics. Some attics have no lighting (a deficiency we home inspectors are supposed to write up), others don't have adequate ventilation and hit temperatures close to or exceeding 130 degrees. Some attics look like a field of snow (blown-in insulation), while others with spray foam are eerily quiet, cool, and resemble an otherworldly landscape.

Over garages, we usually see plywood laid over ceiling joists to create a deck for storage. A thorough home inspection should include a look beyond the decked-over garage however, so long as the inspector can safely move around the attic without harming themselves or the area they are inspecting. Sometimes the clearance from overhead roof structure is too low, other times the joists are well concealed by deep fluffy layers of insulation, and yet other times the temperature is hot, the ceiling is moving with each knee you set down, and my only goal is to find the safest path back to the access hatch.

Which brings us to attic walkways. Obvious risks associated with moving from joist to joist include missing a step, plunging all or part of the way through the ceiling, and inflicting costly damage to the home and possibly personal injury. I found myself the other day gravitating toward a walkway in an attic, thoughtfully constructed by some former homeowner or repairman for the purpose of easier movement through the attic. Or so I thought. Two steps on, no problem. Three? We're good. Four? Not so good anymore. What I failed to realize about the walkway was that the overlapping pieces of plywood were not resting on joists as one would assume. As I stepped down, the piece of planking behind me shot upward, and the piece in front of me shifted down. Quickly and nimbly (at least nimbly in my mind) stepping forward, I again missed a joist and it became a series of steps that must've looked like I was walking from see-saw to see-saw. This could've resulted in injury and same to the ceiling and should serve as a cautionary tale to take every step lightly, and do your due diligence before trusting that everything is at it seems. A simple lifting of the first piece of planking would've showed me that it was neither secure nor laid evenly across the joists. I'm thankful that I did not damage the property or hurt myself, but even more grateful to pass along this experience to all those who enter and traverse attics, be it several times a day or just once a year to get the Christmas stuff down.

For Waco home buyers, the home inspection is an opportunity to have a licensed professional thoroughly evaluate the home and its components prior to a buyer finalizing their commitment to purchase (offer contingent upon inspection).

An inspection may help to identify issues with wiring, plumbing, water penetration, roofing, foundations, inadequate previous repair, unresponsive built-ins such as microwaves, dishwashers, and heating and cooling units. While the inspection is not intended to "pass" or "fail" a property, it should help a buyer make a more informed decision on what types of repairs they may need to be prepared to undertake or have evaluated further by licensed professionals.

For sellers in Central Texas, investing in a home inspection prior to listing is an opportunity to learn about your property and identify any items that you may wish to repair or replace before putting your property on the market. A fundamental awareness on the part of the seller as to what an inspection is likely to turn up can help to prevent an unpleasant surprise down the road once the house is on its contingency phase of the contract.

Just as important as the home inspection itself is ensuring that you are working with a state-licensed professional home inspector. While a handful of states do not require home inspectors to hold a license, Texas is not one of them. Be sure that the inspector you are working with has fulfilled all of the state requirements to perform home inspections, including education under a certified instructor, supervison of inspections, and passing both a national and state licensing examination. The easiest way to ensure your are working with a licensed inspector is to look for their TREC (Texas Real Estate Commission) license number.